Living with schizophrenia can be difficult for anyone, but it can be even more challenging when you’re dealing with the symptoms without fully understanding what to expect or what can be done. Learning the schizophrenia causes and treatments is an important step to being able to live with and understand the condition.

What Are Schizophrenia’s Causes?

It isn’t really understood what schizophrenia may be caused by, but many who have studied the disorder extensively have come to the conclusion that it is the direct result of a combination of two major factors, genetics and the environment. These two factors work together in developing the disorder.

Additionally, it could also be the result of the brain chemicals and neurotransmitters, which might play a role in how schizophrenia develops. At times, the brain’s levels of dopamine and glutamate are off and this may be an underlying cause of the problem.

No one fully understands the schizophrenia causes and treatments, but it is clear that there are many factors that could serve as an impetus for the onset of this disease. Clearly, there are some people who are at a higher risk of developing the disorder than others, so knowing what those risk factors are can also help to determine the potential of someone in developing the disease and the level of risk in ending up with schizophrenia. They include

1. Those that have a family history of the disorder

2. Exposure to toxins or viruses; or having been malnourished in the womb

3. If your immune system has been over activated as a result of an autoimmune disease

4. Use of psychotropic or psychoactive drugs as a teen or young adult

How Is Schizophrenia Treated?

There are a number of forms of treatment for schizophrenia and the patient will have to maintain the prescribed drugs for the remainder of his or her life. Even after the symptoms have disappeared, medications will have to continue. At times when episodes become extreme, hospitalization may also be required to protect the patient’s safety.

Medications

While medications have proven to be the most effective in treating schizophrenia they have been known to produce some serious side effects in some patients. Antipsychotic medications are believed to control the brain’s neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. These can come in pill form of as injections for those who refuse to take medication orally.

Therapy

Another way of treating the disorder is through therapy. Although this method cannot be started until the psychosis has receded enough to allow communication with a patient in a normal way, it should be noted that options include individual therapy, social skills training, family therapy, and vocational rehabilitation.

Living with schizophrenia can be difficult for everyone concerned. It can get easier though with the right kind of treatment for the patient. However, none of the help needed to learn to live with this disorder can even be started until it has been properly diagnosed. This means that the ability for everyone to recognize basic schizophrenia causes and treatments is essential. Once treatment has begun and everyone learns how to maintain a relatively normal lifestyle, many of the stresses and pressures caused by schizophrenia can be reduced to a level that may help the patient to live a normal lifestyle.